Out and about Loving Annapolis The Chesapeake Bay BridgeBringing the Western & Eastern Shores TogetherWhen it's summertime in my neck of the woods this usually means a jaunt across the Cheasapeake Bay Bridge to the Ocean..Back before the bridge was built in 1952 a ferry was the only way to the Eastern Shore side of the Chesapeake Bay. With the bay stretching for 4+/- miles from shore to shore not many ventured in that direction and instead the beaches on the western side became the playgrounds of DC and Baltimore. Summer homes were a norm right here around Annapolis as people came to relax and play. That all changed when the first Chesapeake Bay Bridge was built. Suddenly getting to the ocean was a lot easier to do and people started heading that way in droves to experience the ocean. ... 06/29/2008

Life is busy. Somedays it seems as if my head hits the pillow when it's time to get up again. Here it is 11:30 on a Wednesday night and I am still at my desk working. Well not quite working now as I am here writing a blog and reading and commenting on others blogs as well. But before this I was changing comments on my listings in the MLS, checking new to market inventory for Buyers I am so lucky to be working with, writing ads for my Open Houses this weekend, sending off emails, planning for tomorrow. And this is just a small part of what this day has brought my way. I know my Buyers and Sellers don't know what crazy hours I devote to them on any given day. But that is ok. It's what I am passionate about and love to do. For me, this day consisted of making calls, taking calls, answering... 06/18/2008

Active inventory continues to increase, while new listings continue to decrease and pending sales also decline. The trend established more than two years ago continues. Pending sales declined 22.6% from this time last year. While new listings declined 23.8% from last year and active listings were up 4.3% over May 2007. In May 2008, the ratio of active listings to pending sales was 11.0%, only a slight change from April when the ratio was 11.1%. The ratio was 14.8% in May 2007, 20.7% in May 2006, and 67.3% in May 2005. The declining ratio indicates that buyers perceive the real estate market as over priced. Resistant sellers are failing to get their homes sold. Those sellers that price below market are generating traffic and multiple offers while overpriced listings sit without offers. I... 06/17/2008

Currently available homes in Annapolis, Maryland for around $1,000,000For information on these or any property in Maryland-- Mike@CallMike.org Address List Price2004 Chesapeake Rd $1,075,0001323 Windsor Ridge Ln $1,100,000712 Childs Point Rd $1,099,000860 Coachway $1,079,0002008 Kenwood Rd $1,100,000233 Prince George St $1,100,000912 Melvin Rd $1,100,000203 Kirkley Rd $1,100,0001224 Boucher Ave $1,025,0001828 Baltimore Annapolis... $1,074,000907 Scupper Ct $1,050,000184 Acton Rd $1,000,000216 Wardour Dr $1,050,0001840 Kimberwicke Pl $1,000,00020 Wardour Dr $1,085,0002133 Beach Village Ct #2L $1,100,0001501 Circle Dr $1,044,9992055 Chesapeake Rd $1,100,00055 Richard's Ln $1,059,000173 Williams Dr $1,125,0002943 Broad Ct $1,049,9001608 Turks Cap Lily Ln $1,050,00022 Dean St $1,095,00024 D... 06/07/2008

These homes have just been listed in the Annapolis, Maryland area For information on these or any property in Maryland-- Mike@CallMike.org $484,500 923 WELLS AVE ANNAPOLIS MD 21403$449,000 8 MILKSHAKE LN ANNAPOLIS MD 21403$600,000 714 CHESAPEAKE AVE ANNAPOLIS MD 21403$1,350,000 1108 MIAMI AVE ANNAPOLIS MD 21403$875,000 1111 MITCHELL ST ANNAPOLIS MD 21403$172,000 1003 MADISON ST ANNAPOLIS MD 21403$669,000 519 SECOND ST ANNAPOLIS MD 21403$619,900 713 SPRINGDALE AVE ANNAPOLIS MD 21403$639,000 517 SECOND ST ANNAPOLIS MD 21403$1,275,000 1109 MIAMI AVE ANNAPOLIS MD 21403$389,000 1205 PRESIDENT ST ANNAPOLIS MD 21403$899,000 417 CHESAPEAKE AVE ANNAPOLIS MD 21403$319,900 1206 PRESIDENT ST ANNAPOLIS MD 21403$389,900 304 GARDEN GATE LN ANNAPOLIS MD 21403$1,025,000 1224 BOUCHER AVE ANNAPOLIS MD 214... 06/07/2008

For information on these or any property in Maryland-- Mike@CallMike.org $2,900,000 182 PRINCE GEORGE ST ANNAPOLIS MD 21401$697,500 114 SOUTH ST ANNAPOLIS MD 21401$795,000 123 CONDUIT ST ANNAPOLIS MD 21401$1,944,700 30 RANDALL ST ANNAPOLIS MD 21401$739,000 48 CORNHILL ST ANNAPOLIS MD 21401$2,595,000 78 CONDUIT ST ANNAPOLIS MD 21401$1,100,000 233 PRINCE GEORGE ST ANNAPOLIS MD 21401$599,000 28 EAST ST ANNAPOLIS MD 21401$1,325,000 91 MARKET ST ANNAPOLIS MD 21401$625,000 22 FLEET ST ANNAPOLIS MD 21401$1,845,000 7 STATE CIR #UNIT # 201 ANNAPOLIS MD 21401$1,675,000 7 STATE CIR #UNIT # 202 ANNAPOLIS MD 21401$995,000 205 DUKE OF GLOUCESTER ST ANNAPOLIS MD 21401$924,900 74 EAST ST ANNAPOLIS MD 21401$1,125,000 104 MARKET ST ANNAPOLIS MD 21401$920,000 125 MARKET ST ANNAPOLIS MD 21401$549,000 39 DE... 06/07/2008

At Keller Williams, We Are Encouraged to Think About Our Mission and Purpose in Life. It's Called Our Big Why, and Here's Why I Think It Matters Several years back, on my first day in real estate, I sat down with the team leader of the Keller Williams office here in Annapolis. I signed some papers, had a stack of books and a training schedule handed to me, and then this: So Ken - tell me about your Big Why. Sorry? It sounded like she thought I owned a ranch in Montana, The Big Y. Your Big Why. Why are you here? What's the one thing that gives meaning and purpose to your life more than any other? Well, I hadn't really considered it. And truth be told, I thought the question was a bit lofty for someone who hadn't even learned to use the office copier yet, let alone sell a single house. Bu... 05/28/2008

Now is the time to sell. If this was the stock market you would execute a stop loss order and lock in your profit before the price per share fell further. But this is the real estate market and not the stock market so it is not as simple as calling your stock broker or going online and placing the order to sell. Besides, if you could sell your home as fast as you can sell your shares of IBM online, where would you move? Furthermore, perhaps you should have sold in mid-2005 when the real estate market was up because now the real estate market is down. So timing the real estate market is more difficult than you think.  But the writing was on the wall as we came out of 2005 and started the spring market of 2006. Let's face it, we're in a declining real estate market. Prices continue to fal... 05/28/2008

Do the Numbers Reveal an Upturn in the Annapolis Real Estate Market? Plus...Here's What the NAR (National Assn of Realtors) is Forecasting for the Second Half of 2008 Around the 10th of every month, the local MLS - ours is known as the Metropolitan Regional Information System - publishes real estate market sales statistics for the previous month.  Here are some notable statistics for April 2008 for Anne Arundel County: Average Sold Price: $398,231 - a slight decrease from the April 2007 figure of $398,754. Median Sold Price: $320,000 - a 7.25% decrease from the April 2007 figure of $345,000. Total Units Sold: 420 homes, a 30% decrease over the April 2007 figure of 600. Average Days on Market: 137, an increase of 28.04% over the April 2007 figure of 107 days. Those numbers may not seem t... 05/22/2008

When It Rains in Annapolis, It Pours. And When It Pours, The Moss Haedrich Team of Keller Williams Puts on our Slickers  The rains came to Annapolis this week, biblical rains. Like oil and water, any experienced Realtor will tell you that biblical rains and pending settlements don't mix well. The combination puts us on high alert. Which is how I find myself standing barefoot in 4″ of water on a client's patio, coaxing a sluggish drain. It is 6:00AM and the client - soaking up the sun at her new Arizona condo - is blissfully unaware of my unscheduled visit, long since gone from here in both body and spirit. They say that a lot of people think agents just drive around in fancy cars and collect big settlement checks. I wish those people could see me now, standing here in drenched jeans, my... 05/15/2008

Anne Arundel County MarylandREO properties, preforeclosures, auction, short sale homes for sale.  There is a lot of this inventory in Anne Arundel County MD.  If you will be purchasing as your primary residence, you will have access to a Maryland mortgage with little or no money needed financing.Annapolis, MD - Anne Arundel CountyBANK OWNED Annapolis, MD - Anne Arundel CountyBANK OWNEDKingsport subdivision   Annapolis, MD - Anne Arundel CountyBANK OWNED, Annapolis MDGreat Water Front views   Choice Real Estate, Inc.  Broker, 888-404-8111 Garrett Park MD homes     |   Prime minus heloc     |     Maryland short sale listings  05/13/2008

In Annapolis, as Elsewhere, the Real Estate Market Has Scared Some of Us Into a Holding Pattern. Maybe It's Time to Land the PlaneIs it just me, or does it seem like the entire world is on hold lately, waiting. Yesterday I showed a home to a young woman who needs to move soon. Nice house, meets her needs, beautiful neighborhood. Would she be interested in making an offer?No thanks, I think I'll wait.Wait for...?Prices to drop some more.How can you be sure they will?Someone on TV said so.Perhaps you should consider offering less than asking price. Just think of it as accelerated  waiting.No thanks. I'll just wait wait.And so it goes. Buyers are waiting for sellers to lower their prices. Sellers are waiting for buyers to make offers. And agents are waiting for their phones to ring.Even My... 05/06/2008

We need a new way of thinking about real estate. You see, our homes are a commodity - not a product. When the seller establishes the selling price it's a product, but when the buyer sets the selling price it's a commodity. And, the price of the commodity moves up or down as a function of supply and demand. In the real estate market, we call this appreciation or depreciation. Right now we have more homes on the market now than we did this time last year and more than the year before. So you see, we've been in a depreciating market since mid-to-late 2005 and all the while home prices have been declining. Buyers' perception of value in today's market is significantly lower than that of Sellers. Some Sellers, still living in 2005, believe that the market continues to appreciate while home p... 05/03/2008

April Real Estate Market Sales Statistics for Anne Arundel County Will Be Released in 10 Days and We Will Publish the Numbers Here. Until Then, Here's Our Almost Totally Unscientific Market Story and We're Stickin' To ItIf the local dining scene is a somewhat reliable barometer of consumer optimism, then our dinner at the Chart House in Annapolis this past Friday would lead one to believe that all the talk of a sagging economy and a housing/mortgage meltdown is falling upon deaf ears.Indeed, judging by the throngs of diners ordering up $35 steaks, succulent shrimp, good bottles of wine, and $9.00 chocolate lava cakes - our personal favorite - you'd have to say the mood was downright festive, that nobody's much worrying about their wallets, and things are looking decidedly up.Who knows? ... 04/30/2008

Confessions of an Un-Geeky Annapolis Real Estate BloggerApril 25th, 2008 Categories: Fun FridaysIf you're a regular reader of this blog - and finally, I think there are a couple of you - then you know that Fridays are for fun. I didn't invent the idea of fun blog Fridays; I stole it from fellow blogger Teresa Boardman. She hasn't sent her lawyers after me yet, so for now I guess I'm okay.People like confessions so I thought it would be fun today to tell you one of mine: I'm not a geek. That may come as a surprise to some of you, since I do have a blog, but my computer literacy is probably on par with that of your average Golden Retriever.What knowledge I do have of blogging can be attributed directly to a neat group of actual geeks called The Real Estate Tomato. See that tomato icon in ... 04/28/2008

April showers may bring May flowers but is the real estate market is ready to bloom? While negative news coverage of the real estate market dominates the headlines well positioned sellers and ready willing and able buyers are making deals. Although the inventory of active units is up, the average sold price in Anne Arundel County is off a mere 0.8% from this time last year while Annapolis is off 14.4% form March of 2007. Pending sales - the best predictor of future closed transactions - are up modestly. Sold units this past month across the county were up in March by 26.3% but down from March 2007 by 34.1%. Sales are likely to remain sluggish for the next three months and this buyer's market could continue twelve more months. In Anne Arundel County the total sold volume was down 19.6% f... 04/15/2008

The trend is clear. It remains a buyer's market and home sales continue to be sluggish. While current economic conditions continue to deteriorate throughout the country, the metro Washington-Baltimore area - which has been relatively recession proof in years past - is suffering from lagging home sales, declining prices, and increasing inventory levels. March, April and May are the months when many sellers bring their property to market and sales peak in June about 90 days after the inventory level peaks. While sellers can expect this trend to repeat itself again this year, the number of buyers remains fewer than the number of sellers sustaining the current buyer's market. In Anne Arundel County this March there were 3,963 active units on the market, 8.4% fewer homes on the market than M... 04/04/2008

Included in Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County, Maryland - Home of Fort George G. Meade, NSA, Northrop Grumman, BWI, and the U.S. Naval Academy   Daffodils are popping up inside the Naval Academy gates, buds are appearing on the dogwood and cherry trees, and azaleas will soon be in bloom.  If you've never toured the U.S. Naval Academy grounds in Annapolis, Maryland, there's no more beautiful time of year to do so.  While you're in Annapolis, you might want to visit some of the Historic Homes Outside the Naval Academy Gates and these magnificent public gardens in and near Annapolis:     Helen Avalynne Tawes Garden  580 Taylor Ave., Tawes State Office Building, Annapolis, MD www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/tawesgarden.html This award-winning five-acre garden represents... 03/22/2008

I'm a very proud grandmother and yes a very proud great grandmother too. They call me Granny by my choosing. Silly isn't it, after all I am only 42 (NOT)! I have 14 with one more on the way. Each one is so very special to me for reasons only a grandmother knows but the one I am going to share with you today is special because she has given me the greatest compliment of all, she has followed in Granny's foot steps.  Nichole has actually worked for me for the past 8 years doing behind the scenes type of work. This past year she looked me straight in the eye and said 'I'm going to go for my real estate license so I can work side by side with you Granny. I see how much you enjoy it and I feel the same way so what do you think?  Well needless to say my eyes got wide as saucers and my heart b... 03/16/2008

Included in Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County, Maryland - Home of Fort George G. Meade, NSA, Northrop Grumman, BWI, and the U.S. Naval Academy.   Relocating to Anne Arundel County?  If you're interested in a waterfront lifestyle, here is an overview of properties on the market at this time.   ANNAPOLIS - 79 detached waterfront homes for sale. They range from a bungalow on Black Walnut Creek on the market for $450,000 to Stonewater Estate, a mansion overlooking 8' of deep water on Crab Creek.    RIVA  - 10  waterfront detached homes for sale Homes range from $765,000 for a small 56-year old home on the South River to $2,795,000 for a 4 bedroom 4 bath home on an acre, on the South River     ARNOLD - 24 detached waterfront homes for sale. Homes range from a 78-year old... 02/28/2008